White House Shooter Charged With Assassination Attempt

One day after his arrest at a Hampton Inn in Western Pennsylvania, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez has been charged with attempting to assassinate President Obama or a member of his staff. Ortega-Hernandez is alleged to have been involved with last week’s shooting near the White House. In the coming days, Ortega will be moved from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., where he will be tried on the charge and potentially faces a life sentence in prison, the Associated Press reports.

Investigators found a gun in the Idaho man’s car while investigating the incident. A spokesperson for the FBI’s Washington field office told the AP that the agency has custody of Ortega-Hernandez’s car and will continue to process it for evidence.

In addition, on Tuesday the Secret Service reported finding a bullet that hit a window at the White House but was stopped by ballistic glass. A second bullet also was found on the building’s exterior. Law enforcement officials also searched for Ortega-Hernandez at an Occupy DC encampment this week. He reportedly is mentally ill; his family reported him missing late last month.